TRUE TO YOURSELF
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Luke 4:1-13
I never was one for giving up something for Lent. I don't know why. Maybe I didn't like the idea of 40 days without chocolate (what else would I eat?!) or I never thought that any one thing dominated my life in an unhealthy way (surely there's nothing wrong with spending hours on the internet; I'm catching up with news of the world, after all) or maybe I just didn't feel like I needed to do any acts of penance, though that is highly unlikely. But overall it just felt fake. It felt like I was trying to be someone else, someone that was not true to myself.
We are always trying to figure out who we are, and with that comes discovering how our actions and decisions affect who we are. What are we called to be and how can we live up to that calling? This is something that I've wrestled with for many years, and I'm sure many of you can relate. It is such a big question to grapple with and I'm not convinced that I will ever get to a place where I feel that I have answered it. It is a lifelong quest to answer those questions: Who am I? How can I live up to who I have been called to be?
Perhaps the scripture passage for today gives us a way of considering these questions. We find Jesus as he his leaving the Jordan River where he has just been baptized by John. To mark the beginning of his ministry, Jesus has gone into the wilderness for a time of preparation. At the end of that time, he is given three tests, or is tempted three times by the devil. These three temptations are important to consider individually because they shed much light on Jesus, his position as God's Son and the ministry that he has been called to.
The first temptation is a personal and social challenge for Jesus where he is challenged to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. Jesus had been out in the wilderness for forty days and had not eaten the whole time. The thought of having something to eat would have been very tempting. But if he were to fulfill his hunger, he would be focusing on his own needs rather than trusting in God to provide for his needs. It would be a selfish act and an abuse of his powers.
The second temptation is a political challenge. It is a temptation to gain power by compromise. "If you will worship me, then I will give you authority over everything." The devil offers him all the power in the world, as long as Jesus agrees to worship him.
However, not only is it a temptation to gain power, Jesus also has the chance to establish justice to the ruling powers, something that was not necessarily of importance to the Roman rule. Jesus came to shake up the powers of authority and establish justice and peace, but this was neither the time nor the place nor the manner in which to enact that change.
The requirement to worship someone or something other than God would have resulted in the denial of Jesus' relationship with his Father, God Almighty and ruler over all. Jesus was not willing to make that compromise and therefore the deal does not go through.
The third temptation is a religious challenge. This time the devil has quoted Scripture in his challenge, words of promise found in the book of Psalms:
"He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you", and
"On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone."Jesus is asked to jump off the temple in Jerusalem to prove that God will catch him and preserve his life. As one commentator put it: "Jesus was tempted to call upon God to deliver him from death in Jerusalem. Ironically, as every Christian reader knows, Jesus would eventually face death in Jerusalem, and when he did he would choose not his own deliverance but faithfulness to his Father's will. Jesus would fulfill his divine sonship not by escaping death but by accepting death and defeating it." The temptation to jump off the Temple would have strained Jesus' relationship with his Father and ultimately would have been a choice that denied Jesus' trust in God's promises.
One of the striking features of this passage is that in Jesus' three responses to the devil he quotes scriptural passages. There is no other dialogue or interpretation; these are the only words Jesus speaks. The effect is that it focuses our attention on both the power and the fulfillment of Scripture. Scripture has the power to help us in times of trouble and temptation. Its power carries through all ages and generations and will continue to do so. And Jesus, as we know, is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. So the literary device of quoting the Hebrew scriptures which he has come to fulfill, strengthens his identity as the Son of God.
In the third verse when the devil uses scripture to support his command to jump off the roof of the Temple, we can see how easy it is to twist scripture and use it to support something that we should not be doing. Just as it can be tempting to twist someone else's words, especially if you're having a disagreement with them, the devil is twisting the words of God to tempt Jesus. Jesus could have thought, well, surely if my Father said that, then it should be no big deal. What could possibly go wrong? But Jesus remains true to himself and true to his mission. He is not here to test the one who sent him, but rather to bring peace, justice, and reconciliation to the world. None of that is accomplished by jumping off the roof of the Temple.
It was important for Jesus to remain true to himself and true to his calling. On a more modern note comes one example of this from the Olympics. If you have followed even 10 minutes of the Olympics, you have probably heard the name Shaun White. He is at the Olympics representing the USA for the snowboarding events. This past week he competed in the Halfpipe event. In this particular event, you have two chances to get the highest score possible. Everyone goes once, and then again. Your highest score, from either of your runs, is the one used in the rankings. After the first run, Shaun White had a comfortable lead, which made him the last one in line for the second run. Once everyone else had done their second attempt, no one had come close to topping Shaun White's first score, so there he was, at the top of the hill, waiting to make his second run with a gold medal guaranteed. Shaun White had a decision to make. He didn't need the second score, so he could just slide through the middle of the halfpipe, not do any tricks and still receive his gold medal. But that didn't feel right to Shaun. He was there to be an athlete and perform his tricks that he had worked so hard on, so he decided to go for it and to go all out. His run was absolutely perfect and you could just tell that he was fully enjoying himself. But at the same time, he was also putting himself at great risk. What if he fell of one his many complicated tricks? He could seriously injure himself and put his future at risk. But he knew he had to go for it. He couldn't take the easy way out because this is what he had trained for. He was there to be an athlete and to compete. He had to remain true to himself.
Though it might seem contradictory, temptations are not a sign of weakness but of strength. We are only tempted to do something when it is something we are able to do. Shaun White could have easily taken a knee and given up his second run, but instead he went through his routine and actually got an even higher score, outdoing what people expected of him. Jesus was perfectly able to turn stones into bread, but his ability to resist shows his strength, not his weakness. It is harder to resist something that is easy to do. Just like it might be easy for us to spread rumors of gossip or make up excuses for poor decisions we may have made, the strength comes when we can resist those temptations and be true to who we are called to be, as mothers, fathers, co-workers, brothers or sisters, but also, and most importantly, as Christians. We, just like Jesus, know what it is like to be tempted. And during those times of trial, our responses dictate how we define ourselves. Jesus' responses were scriptural, signifying his relationship to and identity in something beyond himself, that being the Word of God. We can also turn to God when we are being tested. As the hymn says: "Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer."
The good news is that the one who was tempted in the wilderness is also the crucified and resurrected one. New life is made available to those who cannot withstand temptation. We will not always do everything correctly and remain true to who we are called to be. But God forgives us when we confess our mistakes, and we are given a new chance at life. Sometimes we can't withstand temptation on our own and we need someone to pull us out and away. Friends and family may be available, but God is always there for us. As one commentator put it: "One common Lenten refrain is, 'Return to the Lord you God'. In this story, we see that we have a God worth returning to, for in God alone is the tempter defeated."
It is important to remember that temptation is a universal human experience, and it can be a tough experience, but temptations are not an excuse to not do the right thing. We can show our strengths and we can remain true to who we are as individuals and who we are called to be as the people of God. Praise be to God. Amen.
February 21 , 2010
Caroline Wood
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